MARSHFIELD – With the completion of the Stoney River Memory Care Center, 1606 N. St. Joseph Ave., Marshfield will be more prepared to care for the growing number of Wisconsin residents living with memory loss.

The 23,000-square-foot facility designed to support 32 residents with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other memory impairments will accept its first residents Monday.

“The whole building is designed and centered to the needs of Alzheimer’s and dementia residents,” said Sarah Krenn, communications director for the memory care center. “There are areas throughout the building where they can do whatever they want and be active.”

The facility includes a secure, four-season courtyard with non-toxic plants; sensory room with calming aromatherapy, music and lights; spa; barbershop; gentlemen’s porch; music corner; maternal area; and residents’ kitchen.

Krenn said activities such as supervised baking could bring residents back to the kitchen in the home where they grew up, and being in an environment with infant cribs and rocking chairs could comfort a woman who has raised several children.

“For people with memory loss, they need a special environment. They have different kinds of needs,” said Terry Howard, CEO of Browns Living-LifeQuest, which operates the memory care center and other Stoney River senior care facilities.

“Several years ago, my wife and I toured the country, and we were looking for the best memory care facilities in the United States,” Howard said. They combined ideas from award-winning facilities with their own ideas to design the Stoney River Memory Care Center.

“People in our community who suffer from memory issues — this is going to be home to them,” said Pam Rosterman, board president for the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Rosterman toured the memory care center along with other community members before a ribbon-cutting event Tuesday.

The memory care center has taken several reservations but is not full yet, Krenn said. About 35 employees, including nurses and resident assistants, will staff the facility.

Browns Living operates assisted living facilities in Marshfield and Weston and a rehabilitation center in Weston. A second memory care facility is being constructed in Weston, and an assisted living facility is expected to open in Ramsey, Minn., this fall, according to the company’s website.

Reporter Marisa Cuellar can be reached at 715-384-3131. Find her on Twitter as @cuellm34.